It has been a challenging first two seasons in the NFL for Chicago Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd who has dealt with nagging injuries along the way. This is something that Floyd has been hoping to shake this offseason after he missed the last six games of the 2017 season due to a sprained MCL and PCL in his right knee.

The 25-year-old has voiced that he expects to be completely physically ready to go by the time training camp begins, according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I feel great,” Floyd said. “I’ve been up here the whole offseason, working hard, trying to get back in shape, trying to get my leg right so I can be ready for the season. I’m ready to get to training camp, put the pads on and see how I do.”

The Bears are hoping that this could lead to him finally breaking through to become a staple of their defense that they envisioned after selecting him with the ninth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He has shown the ability to be an effective pass rusher with 11.5 sacks in 22 games played in his first two seasons. It has simply been his inability to stay healthy for the duration of an entire season as he has missed eight games due to injury.

Chicago has brought aboard another promising talent in former Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith with the projection that both he and Floyd could help form a dynamic duo in linebacker core that the franchise hasn't had since the days of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. There is plenty of potential for the Bears have their core pieces to the puzzle in place defensively for the long haul.

All of this could set the table for what could be a breakout year for Floyd to finally to start fulfilling those huge expectations laid before him.